Spiced Turkey Meatball Pitas

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Snap off each sugar snap pea stem; pull off and discard the tough string that runs the length of the pod. Peel and mince the garlic. Trim off and discard the lettuce root; separate the leaves. Grate the cucumber. Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon. Peel and mince the shallot to get 2 tablespoons of minced shallot. In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot and the juice of 3 lemon wedges; season with salt and pepper.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic and spice blend. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl. Wipe out the pan. Add the ground turkey and lemon zest to the bowl of cooked aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Using a spoon, gently mix to incorporate. Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 meatballs.

In the same pan used to cook the aromatics, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the meatballs. Cook, flipping occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until evenly browned and cooked through. Remove from heat.

While the meatballs cook, in a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber and the juice of the remaining lemon wedge; season with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the shallot-lemon juice mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

While the meatballs continue to cook, fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the sugar snap peas to the pot of boiling water. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until bright green. Drain thoroughly and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Let stand until cooled, then drain thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cooked peas and enough dressing to coat the salad (you may have extra dressing); toss to thoroughly combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Carefully place the pitas directly onto the oven rack. Toast 1 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned and warmed through. Cut the toasted pitas in half and open the pockets. Line each with a piece of dressed lettuce from the salad. Fill each with 3 of the cooked meatballs; garnish with a few spoonfuls of the yogurt sauce. Divide between 2 plates. Serve with the salad and remaining yogurt sauce on the side. Enjoy!